100 Tonson gallery is proud to present Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook’s new exhibition “An Artist is Trying to Return to ‘Being A Writer’ ”. On an occasion of the artist turning 60th, 100 Tonson gallery invites Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook to return to being a writer.

One of the most prominent Thai artists with international acclaimed, Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook’s work was represented in various high-profile art events, including DOCUMENTA (13) Kassel, Germany (2012); 51Venice Biennale, Thai Pavilion, Venice, Italy (2005); and her first retrospective in the United States at Sculpture Center, New York in 2015. Throughout her career of over 30 years, Araya’s works have been examining mourning and loss, feminism, spectatorship and animals. Unlike her well-received visual art practice, her writing has rarely been observed by the international art world, partly due to her highly specified use of Thai vocabularies. In this exhibition, Araya is presenting her deep-rooted ‘unresolvedness’ between her two practices that has never reached the pinnacle.

For this exhibition at 100 Tonson Gallery, Araya presents her new sculptures and videos including “The Cruel” (2017) a humorous reenactment of the artist’s habilitation meeting where other esteemed professors whom are also important figures in Thai art world, critiquing the artist's controversial works which were never accepted in the academic circle as well as the general public in Thailand. The critique indicates the tension of what constitutes permissible or moral within the national art scene.

The Cruel is then echoed partly in another video titled “Betweenness in I was just told that my work is more or less too sad for Christmas” (2017) A conversation between two women about death, sickness, joyful of youth and long-awaited desire. They discuss each issues with more profound and much philosophical than what “The Cruel” is presenting in their realm, both videos set to bombard each other at the entry way to the exhibition.

“Niranam Yummayooshi" (2015) is a soundless video accompanied by two sleeping figures titled “The Dead Ovary Lullaby” (2016) where both, a woman and a dog fall asleep under a glimmering light. They then travel to different dreamscapes, the ocean, and the grasslands or on top of an injured skin. Meanwhile, an image of a body started to form, layered and simultaneously dissolving its origin. Together, collaged with fragments of mundane experiences such as running and playing, to be wounded and to be covered.

A sculpture titled “An Artist is Trying to Return to Being a Writer” are displayed in two bodies, in two different states, presence and shadow, glorious and despair.

Fixation on imposing boundaries and restrictions in national art stage in the first two videos, juxtaposing the sculptures and fanciful dreamed projection are just like two sweet rivals—presence & shadow, representation & repetitiveness, tranquility & conclusion, birth & death. All of this knitted and intimately bounded within “An Artist is Trying to Return to Being a Writer”. Perhaps visitors can trace and weave the faint sound of poetry that may impose itself within the exhibition.

The exhibition will be on view from 28 July 2017 until 14 January 2018, Thursday – Sunday, 11:00 am – 7:00 pm. Further announcement on public seminars will be released in due time.

Exhibition by Latthapon Korkiatarkul, an artist who has a deep interest in the transformation and redefinition of objects.

(Un)Composition presents paintings that extend beyond the traditional rules of composition and form by an artist. Bravely experimenting with different techniques, Latthapon worked in a variety of methods. These included sometimes creating paintings that are supremely smooth as no hint of brush strokes were left visible. He also, on other occasions, intentionally allowed for surface texture, these include traces of the brush, dust in the wind, and a combination of paint and materials that each remain etched on the surface, composing an abstract representation. The smooth and crisp canvas emphasizes the use of different materials. For instance, the straight shape of paintbrush hair, and the circle of dust spots, which are the key compositions of the paintings that offer no principal objects,narratives, nor hidden symbolization that requires any further excogitation or interpretation than what appears right before our eyes. These paintings not only challenge the audience's perception, but also entice them to question the space beyond the rectangular frame of the artworks.

Latthapon’s works portray the artist’s nature and identity through the language of creation. His techniques may seem simple and resourceful, and yet they beautifully express the sense of perseverance and persistence in his practice. The artist has a unique set of techniques, be it polishing or adding layers of paint, which not only transform the physical characteristics of an object but also redefine its status. This collection thus lies in the realm between two-dimensional paintings and the sense of objecthood as seen in sculptures.

panu nakorthap Sundry Pieces

Aug 5 - Sep 30, 2017

The exhibition will showcase three pieces of my works which explore three different subject matters which may or may not be perceived as int

As the curator of the show, Zhu Tong, says: “young Chinese artists hold brand new lifestyles and interpretations towards art. They intend to express and explore life in a more direct and cheerful way. In spite of the pain and nihility of the youngsters, there is always joy of freedom and images in their created works.”

The artists on show Chen Ke, Chen Yujun, Li Changlong, Li Qing, Liu Jiahua, Luo Quanmu, Xiang Nan, Ma Ke, Zhang Wenrong, belong all by the new Chinese artists generation.
The show mixes their freshness and power and positive energy, sketching all the vitality of contemporary Chinese art.

The new generation of Chinese artists value the freedom of thinking as the starting point of anything. Today, we could ignore all the logics within art and free our minds from those so called rules and formality. In their world, limitation is meaningless while rules equal depression and restrictions, only free soul could inspire creation. Being in such variant and complicated time, art has never been so active and full of possibility. The core value of arts must go back to its original foundation. We probably cannot predict what direction art is heading in China but it is in this uncertainty and risk of future that we are embracing a brand new great era.

Text by Zhu Tong
(a Chinese curator, one of the most representative in Chinese contemporary art scene)